The Agency role is officially defined as: “Our role is complex and diverse and requires a very considered and increasingly targeted approach to conducting our business. If we do not manage our responsibilities effectively, the potential impacts… may negatively affect the Australian community, international travellers and trade relations both here and overseas” [4]
Customs and Border Protection is Australia's predominant border control agency. From international travellers at airports, to overseas mail and trade brought in by sea, it is responsible for the continued safety and security of the people and goods that travel across Australia’s borders.[5]
Customs and Border Protection uses an intelligence-led, risk-based approach to managing threats, focussing on specific targets that may pose a risk to the border.[2] This allows the agency to plan coordinated responses, interventions and strategies with various other government agencies, including; Australian Crime Commission, Australian Federal Police, Attorney-General’s Department, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Office of Transport Security.[6]